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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. bulb — for light
  5. pit — in a race
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. land — to come down
  8. board — to get on
  9. content — the amount
  10. bear — the animal
  11. content — happy
  12. land — ground
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. bulb — for light
  15. capital — a city
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. land — a country
  20. bear — the animal
  21. pit — a hole
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. capital — money

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com